Paxton Academy Sports And Science
Primary · Free schools · Ages 2–11 · Thornton Heath, Croydon
Last distance offered · Reception 2026
1.788 miles
Published by Croydon Council · offers on 16 April 2026
2023–2025 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
Paxton Academy Sports And Science is a primary school in Thornton Heath, Croydon for ages 2–11 (free schools). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Good, from the inspection on 6 December 2022. Croydon has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2023 to 2026 entry.
Paxton Academy Sports And Science catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Reception 2026 | 1.788 mi |
| Reception 2025 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2024 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2023 | 🔒 With a pass |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- The last child offered a Reception place in 2026 lived 1.788 miles away, the 28th shortest of 64 Croydon primary schools with a published last distance (middle figure 2.44 miles).
- In 2026 Reception, there were 53 first-choice applications for 58 offers; every first-choice family was offered a place, and 5 offers went to families ranking it second or lower.
- The school has 19 pupils per teacher, against a middle figure of 23.6 across the 8 nearest primary schools in Croydon.
- 2024/25 reading, writing and maths: 87% met the expected standard, the 2nd highest among this school and the 6 of the 8 nearest primary schools in Croydon that have results.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Croydon schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- 843 London Road, Thornton Heath, CR7 6AW
- Type
- Free schools
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 2–11
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Croydon
- Pupils on roll
- 281 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 43.1% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 19
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Good Inspected 6 December 2022
Strengths
- “At Paxton Academy, pupils are happy and enjoy learning.”
- “Leaders have worked successfully to transform all aspects of pupils’ education.”
- “They make sure that pupils achieve well across the curriculum.”
To improve
- “Nevertheless, in those subjects where improvements to the curriculum are more recent, pupils’ knowledge is not as secure and deep as leaders intend.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 27 January 2023 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| Key stage 2 · reading, writing and maths, expected standard (2024/25) | 87% | 62% |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 53 first-preference applications, 58 offers in total, 53 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby primary schools
Straight-line distance, in Croydon.
- Winterbourne Boys' Academy 0.3 mi School remains Good
- Winterbourne Junior Girls' School 0.3 mi Good
- Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School 0.3 mi Good Last distance published
- Gonville Academy 0.3 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Ecclesbourne Primary School 0.6 mi Good Last distance published
- West Thornton Primary School 0.6 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Elmwood Infant School 0.7 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Elmwood Junior School 0.7 mi School remains Good